Kwon vowed to handle the case under South Korea’s law and legal procedures, it said, declining to give details.

Liu has told investigators that he attacked the embassy because he was angry at Tokyo’s refusal to deal with the issue of “comfort women” forced to work in Japanese military brothels in World War II. He said his late maternal grandmother — a Korean — was forced into wartime sex slavery in China.

Liu also claimed responsibility for an arson attack that caused minor damage at Japan’s controversial Yasukuni Shrine in December last year.

The shrine in Tokyo is dedicated to 2.5 million Japanese killed in wars — including top war criminals — and is often seen as a symbol of the country’s wartime aggression.

At separate talks on Friday with South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan, Meng said Beijing was “seriously” considering Seoul’s request to release four South Korean activists, the foreign ministry said.

The four were arrested on March 29 after helping North Korean refugees and accused of endangering China’s national security, a charge that can carry severe punishment.